Leisure and Culture
On 15 June 2004, Dorking was granted Fairtrade Town status.
The Dorking Halls is a cinema, theatre, leisure centre and swimming pool complex. There is also an "Arts Alive" Festival which takes place annually during the last two weeks of October. Dorking Halls is also yearly host to a professional pantomime which was re-introduced in December 2006, after several years of hosting Zippo's Circus.
Dorking also has a museum, a library, about thirty pubs and a CIU affiliated club. It is noted for its antique and art shops on West Street.
The town has an active collection of sports clubs.Dorking has two Non-League football clubs Dorking Football Club who are based in the centre of the town at Meadowbank and Dorking Wanderers F.C. who play at Dorking Wanderers Stadium.
Dorking rugby football club which plays at Brockham attracted national attention when it won the Powergen Vase in 2005/2006 and continues to do so currently playing in National League 3, London & South East. Dorking and Mole Valley Athletics Club is based at Pixham Sports Ground. They host the annual Dorking Ten road race starting from Brockham Green. The Mole Valley Bowmen are located in the grounds of St Martin's primary school.
Near to Dorking lies the Leith Hill area, along with the adjacent hills of Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill, as well as the nearby escarpment of the North Downs from Box Hill to Newlands Corner. This place is notable in southern England for country walks, rambling and mountain biking. As a whole this area is known as 'The Surrey Hills'. Also adjacent to Dorking is Denbies Vineyard. The Dorking Group of Artists exhibit locally twice a year, in Betchworth and at Denbies. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2007.
Underneath the town lie the Dorking Caves which are open occasionally to the public.
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